Subfonds H23/SL - SAINT LAWRENCE'S HOSPITAL, CATERHAM

29.44 linear metres

H23/SL 1868-1999 subfonds 29.44 linear metres Caterham Dene Mental Hospital x Metropolitan District Asylum x Metropolitan Imbecile Asylum x Caterham Asylum , 1870-1920 x Caterham Mental Hospital , 1920-1941 x St Lawrence's Hospital , 1941-1980 x Caterham and District , 1981-1986

Caterham Asylum was opened on 9 October 1870, one week after the opening of Leavesden Asylum. Both Asylums were built and run by the recently constituted Metropolitan Asylums Board for the care of "insane paupers" who were "such harmless persons of the chronic or imbecile class as could lawfully be detained in a workhouse". "Dangerous or curable" patients were to be sent to the county lunatic asylums. At first children were admitted along with adults, but from 1873 the children were sent to Darenth Training Colony. However, both Caterham and Leavesden were soon full to capacity. In 1903, a further Asylum was built at Tooting Bec.

From 1913 the Metropolitan Asylums Board became officially responsible for many mentally defective children (under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913). Caterham received untrainable boys over the age of 8 when they left the Fountain Mental Hospital, Tooting, as well as other children such as semi-educable ones not up to the standard of Darenth Training Colony. Caterham had a large proportion of older patients and many who had been there a long time who had little chance of recovery. By 1930, the hospital had 2068 beds.

After 1930 Caterham Asylum, known as Caterham Mental Hospital since 1920, was run by the London County Council. In 1941 it was renamed Saint Lawrence's Hospital. During World War II, 494 beds at Caterham were set aside for Caterham Emergency Hospital taking in civilians and military casualties.

In 1948 Saint Lawrence's Hospital was taken over by the South West Metropolitan Regional Board who administered the hospital until 1974. Under NHS reorganisation the hospital was administered by the South West Thames Regional Health Authority. Between 1974 and 1982 it was in the Croydon Area Health Authority; in 1982 it became part of the Croydon District Health Authority. In April 1991 Saint Lawrence's Hospital became part of Lifecare NHS Trust.

ACC/2332, ACC/3040, ACC/3114, ACC/3473, B05/049, B05/057, B05/062, B12/045

Records of Caterham Asylum, later Saint Lawrence's Hospital, 1870-1990, including minutes, reports, visitor's books, NHS Trust application, registers of admission and discharge, creed patients, deaths, pathological samples, post mortems, injections, cases of dysentery and TB, casualty registers, ward books, medical journals, lists of reception orders, case books and case files, registers of baptisms and burials, papers about the centenary of the hospital, staff magazines and plans of the building.

The records are arranged as follows: A = Administration, B = Patients' records, C = Staff records, D = Financial records, G = Chaplain's records, PH = Photographs, Y = Related documentation.

These records are open to public inspection, although under section 5(4) of the 1958 Public Records Act administrative records are closed for 30 years and patient records for 100 years.

Copyright: Depositor
English

Fit

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Administrative papers, 1915-1932, can be found at the Surrey History Centre, Goldsworth Road, Woking. The diaries of James Adam, superintendent, with inserted letters, memoranda and programmes, 1872-1879, are held at the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine, Euston Road, London.

For further information see: The Metropolitan Asylums Board and its Work, 1867-1930 Metropolitan Asylums Board, 1930 (LMA Library ref. 26.03 MAB), England's First State Hospitals and the Metropolitan Asylums Board 1867-1930, Gwendoline M. Ayers, 1971 (LMA Library ref. 20.03 AYR) and St Lawrence's, The Story of a Hospital 1870-1994, Robert Malster, 1994 (LMA Library ref. 26.15 ST.L).

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.  February 2009 Psychiatric hospital patients Patients Psychiatric hospitals Lunatics Caterham Dene Mental Hospital x Metropolitan District Asylum x Metropolitan Imbecile Asylum x Caterham Asylum , 1870-1920 x Caterham Mental Hospital , 1920-1941 x St Lawrence's Hospital , 1941-1980 x Caterham and District , 1981-1986 Medical institutions Child health services History Personal history Medical history Health services Hospitals Hospital administration People People by roles Hospital patients Metropolitan Asylums Board London England UK Western Europe Caterham Surrey Europe

ACC/2332, ACC/3040, ACC/3114, ACC/3473, B05/049, B05/057, B05/062, B12/045

Records of Caterham Asylum, later Saint Lawrence's Hospital, 1870-1990, including minutes, reports, visitor's books, NHS Trust application, registers of admission and discharge, creed patients, deaths, pathological samples, post mortems, injections, cases of dysentery and TB, casualty registers, ward books, medical journals, lists of reception orders, case books and case files, registers of baptisms and burials, papers about the centenary of the hospital, staff magazines and plans of the building.

The records are arranged as follows: A = Administration, B = Patients' records, C = Staff records, D = Financial records, G = Chaplain's records, PH = Photographs, Y = Related documentation.

These records are open to public inspection, although under section 5(4) of the 1958 Public Records Act administrative records are closed for 30 years and patient records for 100 years.

Copyright: Depositor

• English

• Latin

English

Administrative papers, 1915-1932, can be found at the Surrey History Centre, Goldsworth Road, Woking. The diaries of James Adam, superintendent, with inserted letters, memoranda and programmes, 1872-1879, are held at the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine, Euston Road, London.

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

• English